Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised Pool’s price target from $165 to $190 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying 2.61% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Pool has an overall “Hold” consensus rating and an average price target of $227.70, with five Buy, five Hold, and three Sell ratings.
• Pool’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.40 per share and revenue of $1.50 billion; however, operating income declined 3%, highlighting continued profitability pressure.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $165.00 to $190.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target suggests a potential downside of 2.61% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Monday. DA Davidson set a $200.00 price target on Pool in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price objective on Pool in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Pool from $189.00 to $175.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $227.70.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL traded down $2.12 on Friday, reaching $195.09. 348,506 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 861,497. Pool has a one year low of $152.70 and a one year high of $301.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $173.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $190.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.36 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.39 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Pool will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 197.5% in the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 170,676 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $34,533,000 after purchasing an additional 113,306 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the second quarter worth about $13,324,000. Formuepleje A S lifted its position in shares of Pool by 8.2% in the second quarter. Formuepleje A S now owns 157,327 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,810,000 after buying an additional 11,868 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Pool during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,448,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Pool by 48.0% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 261,402 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,889,000 after buying an additional 84,817 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results exceeded expectations. Pool reported adjusted EPS of $3.40 versus the $3.36 consensus estimate and revenue of approximately $1.50 billion versus $1.48 billion expected. Sales rose 4% year over year, accelerating from 2% growth in the second quarter. Pool Corporation Reports Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Margin resilience supported sentiment. Management was able to pass rising freight costs on to customers, helping protect profitability. Growth was supported by pricing, solid maintenance demand and continued improvement in building materials. Why Pool Corp Stock Jumped
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target to $230 from $200 and upgraded or reaffirmed an “overweight” view, signaling greater confidence in Pool’s recovery and potential upside. Stephens Pool recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Annual guidance was reaffirmed. Pool maintained its 2026 adjusted EPS range of $10.87 to $11.17 and expects full-year sales growth of approximately 3% to 4%, reducing the risk of a near-term guidance cut but offering limited incremental upside. Pool reaffirms 2026 guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability remains pressured. Quarterly operating income declined 3% to $172.2 million, while reported EPS was essentially flat from the prior year, highlighting ongoing cost and demand challenges despite the sales improvement. Pool Corporation quarterly results

Pool Company Profile

Pool Corporation, doing business as POOLCORP, is a wholesale distributor of swimming pool and outdoor living products. The company supplies pool contractors, retailers, builders, and service professionals with products used to construct, renovate, maintain, and enhance residential and commercial pools.

Its product offerings include swimming pool equipment, pumps, filters, heaters, cleaners, lighting, chemicals, replacement parts, and maintenance supplies. POOLCORP also distributes products for outdoor living, including patio and recreational items, as well as irrigation and landscape-related supplies in selected markets.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, POOLCORP serves customers through a network of distribution centers and sales operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

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